


Heat--Phil's Side

by ficlicious, silvershadowkit



Series: To Have and to Hold [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Shifters, Consent is Sexy, F/F, F/M, Female Tony Stark, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-07-16 11:46:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7266877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficlicious/pseuds/ficlicious, https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvershadowkit/pseuds/silvershadowkit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The events of Heat from Phil's point of view. Arranging pack meeting is difficult when there are 12 members. And then other...problems arise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heat--Phil's Side

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Heat](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7207598) by [ficlicious](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficlicious/pseuds/ficlicious), [silvershadowkit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvershadowkit/pseuds/silvershadowkit). 



> SilverShadowKit: I wrote this after helping spawn the "To Have and To Hold" verse with ficlicious on tumblr, wherein we ended up worldbuilding over a period of days a very elaborate universe. When she needed an outlet and wrote smut, I decided to tackle the logistics of everything else. It has been quite some time since I wrote/posted anything, so feedback/encouragement would be appreciated.

Phil stared at the large mess he had made of the kitchen counter. He had been attempting to organize a full pack meeting by taking the various members’ schedules in pieces against a large calendar, trying to find the spaces where nothing was occurring. To his dismay, not a single minute of the pack’s day had all members free to meet.

“Pepper, tell me I’m hallucinating.”

“Sorry to say, Phil, but it doesn’t seem like our schedules will behave with each other.”

“Okay, then I hereby announce the commencement of the second official Beta Bitch Fest,” Helen announced, holding up a glass of wine. Bruce held up his plate of crackers and cheese in toast, before returning it to the counter.

“There has to be a way to do this,” Phil declared even as he picked up his bottle of beer. “There is no way that this group can be harder to organize than a platoon of Marines. Even my quasi-military spy organization has never been this difficult.”

“I don’t know,” Bruce hedged, taking the hors d'oeuvres to the table along with his soda. “In both of those groups, your subordinates had to listen to you. You could order them into attendance. That’s a lot harder to do with this group. I mean, have you seen how stubborn our pack is?”

“God,” Pepper groaned, dragging her hands over her eyes. “You don’t realize how stubborn Toni is until you try to get her to attend a board meeting. It’s next to impossible.”

“Well, how do you get Toni to attend a board meeting?” Helen asked as she brought over the salad. “I mean, obviously you have managed to get her to those meetings, given the fact that she’s still head of the board despite their efforts.”

“My technique is to steamroll over all her protests, and if need be, physically drag her there,” Pepper answered airily, her wine glass held aloft while her other hand had the basket of fresh bread.

“Well, Phil might not be able to order them, but Toni could,” Helen offered as they dug into the meal that had been prepared for around 12, but now only had to sustain four. Luckily leftovers never lasted long with this group.

Phil was quiet as they ate, staring into the depths of his plate, hand mechanically bringing food to his mouth. There was a twinkle in his eye, and Pepper could practically smell him plotting.

“You're right, Helen,” he declared as they started to wrap up the remaining food. “Toni can order them.” He pulled out his phone and dialed quickly before placing it on speaker phone.

“What?” Came the voice through the phone, bothered and slightly distracted (likely by the mechanical whirring in the background).

“Boss, I need your help. No one is attending my pack gatherings. Do I have permission to use your authority on this issue?”

“Sure, fine. Whatever Phil. Do you actually need me for anything? Or can I get back to work? You know, the work that allows us to love in this kickass estate and not have to worry about gossiping shifters snooping around?”

“No Boss, we're good. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Sure, fine” was the response, growing fainter as Toni apparently turned her attention back to her project, not even bothering to hang up. Phil ended the call with a self satisfied smile.

“Now, let's simply find the least disruptive time for our pack and proceed from there, yes?” The other betas could only nod in awe at the ruthlessness of their appointed leader.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Phil sighed as he relaxed in his lounge chair, the warm sun making his flesh tingle pleasantly. It was so rare that he got the chance to rest like this, even before he had joined the Avengers pack. Elsewhere in the courtyard, Bucky was strumming quietly at the guitar that Toni had gifted him with as a sign of his freedom, reclining against a broad oak tree. Steve had his head resting in Peggy’s lap, and Peggy was in turn using his head a book rest, a small smile on her face as she read.

Bruce was in the patio area with Wanda and Pietro, helping them go over the college classes that they were going to remotely attend, making sure they knew how to access the web feeds and lectures. Wanda was paying attention, while Pietro was clearly more focused on the flight of a bee through the small garden, mostly seeds that had barely broken soil and a few larger rose bushes that had been planted. 

Eventually. Phil noticed how quiet the courtyard had become. He glanced over at Bucky, whose hand was hovering above the strings of the guitar. There was a slight sheen of sweat on the Queen's brow, but that could easily be attributed to the heat of the day and the strength of the sun. Bucky was now struggling to take over his shirt, which was itself a strange act. Bucky was still rather self conscious of the scars of his imprisonment, and rarely showed them to anyone outside of his Court. Could this be a symptom of sunstroke or dehydration? Except, Bucky was in the shade, and had been for quite some time…

Phil stood and walked over. “Bucky?” he questioned, “are you feeling alright?” Phil reached out, intending to check the Queen for signs of sunstroke, but before he could make contact, his hand was knocked away. Steve was blocking his path, a challenging grimace on his face, “Don’t touch him” emanating from his throat in a raspy tone. Peggy was quickly coming up behind him to offer support, and Sam was making his way over from the patio as well in a low defensive position.

In that moment, the truth of the situation hit Phil. Bucky, who had been so traumatized by his captivity that Bruce and Helen were unsure if he would ever manage a normal cycle, was in Heat. Bucky was going into Heat, and almost the entire pack was here, about to be primed by the pheromone rush. Steve and Peggy were already affected, and Bruce has shakily getting to his feet as well, a dazed look on his face. A quick glance around the courtyard revealed no sign of Toni, Clint, or Natasha, so Phil shifted, putting his lupine nose to good use and tracking his Queen. Hopefully she would have a good way to deal with this situation, ‘cause he had no idea at this point.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Phil stood in front of the door, with his back to it, as he had for the last 6 hours, and as Helen had done for 6 before that, and Pepper, and Wanda, and Pietro before them. The regularity of their shifts was a sign of order that he prided himself on, but the length of their requirement was becoming worrisome.

“Helen, do you have a moment to talk? I realize that keeping Bruce calm is important, but I could really use your medical knowledge.”

“Not a problem, Phil,” Helen replied, calm and controlled. “Bruce is here as well, and in a good state of mind, so I think between the two of us, we can handle things. What’s going on?”

“I’m starting to worry about everyone’s implants at this point. This has been going on for almost 36 hours at this point, and I’m not sensing any sign of things slowing down. How long can the implants normally last?”

Bruce was the one to answer him. “Depending on when the implant was installed, the cocktail inside should last for a maximum of 48 hours. Most of them don’t have a reservoir large enough to handle a larger time frame. Do you know when everyone was last topped up?”

“I was the one in charge of everyone’s intake medical exams,” Helen interjected, “So I know that I filled everyone’s up a few months ago, but it was still the standard formula. Toni asked me to look into making a stronger formula for emergency situations, but I haven’t had a chance to do any trials on mice, let alone of shifts.”

Phil let his head lean back, and then abruptly straightened at the responding snarl emanating from inside the door. “So either way, everyone is about to run dry, correct?”

Both Bruce and Helen responded with “Yes,” one matter of fact, the other rather meek.

“Okay, Bruce, I want you to start putting together care packages. Everything you think they might need in there for an extended stay. Food, water, blankets, the works. Helen, in the meantime, I need you to instruct Pepper and I on how to safely administer a booster to everyone’s implants. I know that consent is of the highest priority in Toni’s mind, and I doubt anyone wants to come out of this with a kid on the way.”

“Why Pepper and not me?” Helen queried, even as he heard Bruce starting to work on a list of supplies.

“No offense, Helen, but Toni has a stronger bond with Pepper, and by extension Natasha, Clint, and Bucky. My military background makes less of a threat to Steve, Sam, and Sam. I’m aiming for minimally invasive with maximum effectiveness. Bruce, once you know what we need, send it to Pepper so she can get everything ready. I’m going to visit the lab and borrow some hazmat suits.”

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Putting on the hazmat suit was no different that loading up for a mission, at least to Phil. Pepper seemed slightly more confounded by the protective fabric, but as a cog in the corporate machine, she likely didn’t encounter situations like this often. Without prompting he helped gather her long hair into a neat twist, which easily gathered inside the collar of the suit.

“Thanks, Phil,” she said, a slight waver in her voice the only sign of worry at their upcoming assignment. “Are you sure these things will be enough?”

“Hazmat suits are designed to keep everything in the air and environment from coming in contact with the wearer. That also means that whatever is inside the suit won’t be able to get out unless the material is damaged. As long as we go slow and steady, our scents won’t trigger a negative reaction from Steve or Clint, and the others won’t try to drag us in as well, as we will be essentially neutral to their senses.”

Pepper nodded as they donned their helmets, allowing Helen, who had been double checking the care packages, to assist with the final seal. The pressurized valves activated, and Phil heard the subtle hiss of his recycled oxygen, reminding him of scuba diving trips, both recreational and vocational.

Once they were sealed, Helen erected the plastic barrier to create a quarantine seal, and filled the small space with scent neutralizers. No need to be so careful with controlling their entrance if they flooded the isolation space with everyone else’s scents and wound Steve and Clint into a frenzy of protective instincts. As they shouldered their burdens, Helen gave them the go sign, and into isolation they went.

The room was dark, which made sense. Everyone would have been too focused on Bucky and Toni to worry about something as small a lights, especially when they all had heightened senses. Moving slowly to create minimal disturbance, Phil advanced while Pepper headed into the small ensuite kitchen and began restocking the refrigerator. 

It only took a moment for Phil to round the corner from the entrance and find the pile of packmates. As expected, he could barely see Toni and Bucky under a pile of Natasha, Sam, and Peggy. Clint and Steve had been laying down, but at his approach, jumped to defensive positions, aggression on their faces with bared teeth. Warning growls emanated from the fanged mouths, and Phil froze.

“Alphas,” he greeted, bowing his head as he awkwardly knelt, trying to make sure he didn’t damage his suit or his cargo. “I am here to offer aid for our Queens. I mean no harm.” He didn’t raise his head, and offered his arms in front of him for inspections.

He heard the footsteps, light but assured, and felt the delicate touch of a hand against his neck through his suit. “Seneschal,” he heard Steve state from further ahead, so Clint was the one inspecting him.

“Yes Alpha. I have medicine for the Queens, and the rest of the Court as well. Pepper is also here, supplying you with provisions. May I approach the court?”

The touch against his neck increased abruptly, and Steve’s growl grew louder. The alphas were apparently having a glaring contest over his head, so Phil just focused on staying still and controlling his heart rate and breathing. Eventually, the pressure on his neck eased, and he risked a quick glance up.

“Proceed slowly, Seneschal.” Clint rumbled from behind him, and Steve nodded at him, quick and abrupt.

Having received permission, Phil crept forward, first to Sam, who happened to be closest. Gently he lowered the temperature controlled back he was carrying, and unzipped it to find the vials of suppressant devices, each labelled and carefully tucked inside the bag and each equipped with their own needle, safely covered and sterile. 

Luckily Sam was already stripped of any clothing he had been wearing, so prep wouldn’t take long. An alcoholic wipe cleaned the skin, and Sam twitched at the cool sensation, but didn’t fully wake from the slumber that seemed to have fallen over group. Uncapping the needle, he injected Sam in his buttock, where the muscles would absorb and spread the suppressant, just as he had practiced with Helen on various pieces of produce. 

Sam let out a low moan, and Steve’s growl ramped up, as the protective alpha stalked over to Phil’s side. Phil once again held out his hands for inspection, dropping the single use needle back into the bag in a sharps disposal pouch. Clint pulled Steve back with a growl of his own. “Seneschal, proceed.”

Phil scooted over to Peggy and repeated the process. Peggy managed to sleepily glare at him with one dark eye from where she was curled into Bucky’s side, mascara smugged. She grumbled at him before turning her face further into her Queen’s embrace. Luckily, Bucky had curled around her in such a way to present Phil with the perfect target. The Queen managed to lift his head at the touch of the wipe, but gave Phil a small nod when shown the needle.

Natasha was curled around her Queen, and she did stir at his approach. He saw her scent the air, and a puzzled look crossed her face. Once more, he held his hands for inspection, which she did visually before raising a questioning brow at him.

“This Heat is going longer than the suppressants are designed to work for,” Phil explained as he pulled the next injection from his bag. “I know how much Toni values consent, and I’m attempting to make sure we all can make informed decisions, including when we decide to welcome the next generation.”

Natasha seemed to consider it, before nodding and unwrapping from around Toni. The redhead actually made her way closer to Phil, which prompted his own raised brow. She offered her arm for the injection rather than her back. “It’s more effective if I inject it in your back, is that alright?” Natasha shrugged, but did turn away from him so he could work.Once her injection was done, she crawled over to Bucky’s side and curled up with Peggy instead.

Toni, unfortunately, was laying on her back. Bucky was sprawled over her, but moved away as Phil held up the next injection. Phil slided up closer, attempting to figure out the best way to move his Queen. Unfortunately, he didn’t factor his suit into his movements, and the fabric brushed against Toni’s leg.

In an instant, she was awake, and in a defensive crouch, a snarl forming on her face. Phil held up his hands, showing his unarmed state, but either Toni didn’t care or couldn’t comprehend in her condition.

“Sorry, Phil,” Bucky offered as he sat up, gently dislodging Peggy and Natasha, who only grumbled and settled back into sleep. “Since she took on my Heat, she’s been...a little out of it. I don’t think she really recognizes you with the suit on.”

“That was part of the intent behind the suit,” Phil replied, keeping his voice even. “Is there a chance she’s recognizes you? I really need access to her back to inject this properly, and I don’t think Clint will take it well if I try to restrain her to do so.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Bucky muttered, lowering his head as he breathed deeply. A moment later, he lifted his head and leveled a regal look at Toni. “Toni,” he intoned, voice deep and unquestionable.

Toni stopped her vocalizations, and swung her head to stare at her fellow Queen. She started to relax out of her crouch, but catching sight of Phil, she hunched back into herself, a look of worry making its way onto her face. 

“Come here,” Bucky commanded, and Toni drew herself to his side, like the inexorable descent of a leaf in autumn. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace. A soothing rumble emerged from his throat, and Toni seemed to melt against him. After a moment, Bucky offered Phil a nod, and the Beta approached once more.

The wet of the alcohol pad against her, caused Toni to raise her head enough to see what was happening, but she stayed relaxed against the other Queen. The injection triggered a frown and a whine, but Bucky just increased his soothing purr, and Toni’s eyes fell to half lids as her head fell forward one more. 

“Pepper, what’s your status?” Phil questioned as he closed up his bag and crawled his way out of the pile.

“All clear,” she responded, peering around the corner of the hall, but not approaching the stiff Alphas. “Barring disaster, they have enough food and water for 48 more hours, which would be when they would need booster injections.”

“Good, let’s wrap it up and get out of the way,” Phil answered, raising to his feet only when he was far out of reach from the pile. He offered a bow to Clint and Steve, who were still watching him with dark eyes. “Thank you for allowing us to do our jobs,” The only response was a terse nod, and Phil and Pepper quickly retreated down the hall and through the door.

After closing the door behind him, Phil let himself sag against the strong wood, and fumbled to remove the hazmat helmet. Running a shaking hand over his face, he turned to look at Pepper who was shaking gently with exhaustion and relief. As the two of them panted in lumps on the floor, they both heard the growls of Clint and Steve, which had been a constant hum during their intervention, finally die down into contented rumbles.

“I think I’ve realized something, Pepper.”

“Yeah?” Pepper asked around a pant. “What’s that, Phil?”

“I should have stayed with the Marines.”

END

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is hikagekitsune.tumblr.com  
> Feel free to message me with your responses, and I hope you enjoyed the story.


End file.
